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Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands, Borneo and New Guinea, are partially in Indonesia), and the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470,000 km˛). Sumatera consists of the provinces of: Sumatera Utara; Sumatera Barat; Sumatera Selatan; Aceh; Riau; Jambi; Lampung; and the City of Bengkulu. The longest axis of the island runs approximately 1,790 km (1,100 miles) northwest - southeast, crossing the equator near the center. At its widest point the island spans 435 km (270 miles). The interior of the island is dominated by two geographical regions: the Barisan Mountains in the west and swampy plains in the east. To the southeast is Java, separated by the Sunda Strait. To the north is the Malay Peninsula, separated by the Straits of Malacca. To the east is Borneo, across the Karimata Strait. West of the island is the Indian Ocean. Sumatra supports a wide range of vegetation types which are home to a rich variety of species, including 17 endemic genera of plants. Unique species include: Sumatran Pine, Rafflesia arnoldii (world's largest individual flower), Titan arum (world's tallest and largest inflorescence flower). |
Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park
InformationSatellite View
Getting a great reputation for montane and sub-montane specialities, also good for lowland and hill birding...
Gunung Leuser National Park
InformationSatellite View
Vast undisturbed forests stretching from lowlands to montane. Rarely visited and many discoveries still to be made.
Kerinci-Seblat National Park
InformationSatellite View
Famous montane and hill birding. Easily accessible forests with a good chance of almost all montane Sumatran endemics. In this national park live up to 129 species of birds, 36 mammalians with 24 protected, 10 species of reptiles. 6 species of amphibians, and 8 species of primates. There are also 4000 floras dominated by family of Dipterocarpaceae...
Medan Coastal Environs
Satellite ViewSome great sites near Medan for coastal birding. Good for waders, big waterbirds and migrants.
Pantai Cemara
InformationNot easy to get there, but perhaps the best wader site in Sumatra. Nordman's Greenshank, Mangrove Pitta; Malaysian Honeyguide and Asian Dowitcher are regularly seen.
Way Kambas National Park
ArticleEasily accessible lowland forest. White-winged Ducks, Storm's Storks and some of the best night birding in Asia...
Nick Brickle
(Nusantara / Birds-Indonesia)
info@burung-nusantara.orghttp://burung-nusantara.org
A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Java, Sumatra and Bali
by Tony Tilford and Alain Compost - 136 pages, 300 col photos, maps. New Holland Publishers 2000ISBN: 1853687308
Buy this book from NHBS.com
The Birds of Sumatra
An Annotated Checklist - JG Van Marle and KH Voous Series: BOU CHECKLISTS 10 266 pages, b/w plates, 9 tabs, 3 maps. British Ornithologists' Union 1988ISBN: 0907446094
Buy this book from NHBS.com
Kerinci Seblat National Park
WebsiteSatellite View
Kerinci-Seblat National Park includes around 1.6 million hectares of forest, but from a bird watching perspective has only three well known sites: The Gunung Kerinci summit trail, Danau Gunung Tujuh and the Tapan Road. Details are given on each of these below, but for those interested there are many more places could be explored in the region...
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2000 [January] - Tim Allwood - Way Kanan National Park
ReportWay Kanan is part of the larger protected area known as Way Kambas National Park. The park comprises an area of 130,000 ha. in Lampung province, south Sumatra. It contains a variety of lowland and coastal habitats, including one of the largest freshwater swamp forests in Sumatra. Approximately 80% of the original Dipterocarp lowland rainforests have been selectively logged and converted to grass-land and secondary forest. The relatively open character of the forest coupled with a few trails makes it a rewarding site, where you can observe several unusual species of bird and animal. It is probably the easiest place in the world to see White-winged Duck and Bonaparte's Nightjar and a good place to catch up with other difficult to find birds, such as Storm's Stork, Cinnamon-headed Green-pigeon and Wrinkled Hornbill. Mammals of note include Elephant, Agile Gibbon, Siamang, Leopard Cat, Tapir, Sumatran Rhino and Sumatran Tiger...
2000 [July] - Aidan G. Kelly
ReportIndonesia, the largest archipelago of islands in the world, is a fantastic birding destination. Together with some of the richest forests on earth, Indonesia has more endemic bird species than any other country in the world. Unfortunately Indonesia's huge population has taken its toll on the natural habitat and many bird species are highly threatened due to deforestation. In addition the Indonesian rampant passion for trapping and keeping wild birds in cages is so great that species such as Straw-headed Bulbul and Java Sparrow could easily disappear from Indonesia very soon...
2001 [August] - Pete Morris
ReportThere are many spectacular birds lurking in the few remaining areas of forest which once covered this vast island, but Sumatra is not one of those destinations that gives up its birds easily! Our third visit to Sumatra proved to be every bit as challenging as our previous two...
2002 [July] - Peter Collaerts - Java, Bali and East Sumatra (Way Kambas)
ReportThis report is based on our first birding trip to the Indonesian archipelago. First of all we were interested to find as many of the region's endemics as possible. Of course we did not see all the endemics but then you have to be very lucky. W saw a good selection of Indonesian's birdlife with 237 species during 22 days of birding...
2007 [August] - Henk Hendriks
Report...Some species like Schneider's Pitta and Sumatran Peacock-Pheasant are much harder to find nowadays then in the past. Last year Red-billed Partridges were apparently rather easily whistled into view in the Base Camp area but these birds are most likely trapped as we heard the species only once briefly in that area and we encountered poachers regularly on the lower part of the trail. We did hear Red-billed Partridge for a longer period higher up on the mountain, above First Shelter but these birds remained at a distance...
2008 [April] - John Gregory
ReportOn 9th April 2008 John Gregory and myself discovered a group of 10 White-capped Munias feeding in rice paddies near Panyungkaian, Sumatra. This species had only been recorded on Java and Bali until our discovery...
2008 [August] - Martin Wootton
ReportThe Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java are two of the primary birding destinations in south-east Asia with a wide variety of endemics, regional specialities and pan-Asian species. It remains a major destination for all serious world birders...
2009 [August] - Lim Kim Seng
Report...birds such as Grey-throated and Golden Babblers, White-throated Fantail, Mountain Tailorbird and Mountain Leaf Warbler were common in the bird waves encountered as well as the occasional Sunda Warbler, a Greater Sunda endemic, and a suite of flycatchers - Grey-headed Canary-flycatcher, Little Pied Flycatcher and White-browed Flycatcher...
2010 [July] - Janos Olah
ReportOur 2010 Sumatra tour offered something new again, with a post-tour extension to the remote Enggano Island to look for the endemic birds of this magical place off the west cost of Sumatra. We managed to see all the special birds of Enggano from the diminutive Enggano White-eye to the enigmatic Enggano Scops Owl...
This section sponsored by:
Vacation Indonesia Tours
Tour OperatorVacation Indonesia Tours, owned by Nurlin Djuni & Darwin Sumang, is your gateway to Indonesia. We can immerse you in our culture, heritage and our extraordinarily diverse natural history. The Islands of Indonesia are justly famous for birdwatching. Over 372 species have been recorded and many are found nowhere else. Nurlin Djuni specialises in Birdwatching/Holidays Tours in Sulawesi, Halmahera, Papua, Java, Bali, Kalimantan, Lesser Sundas and Sumatera...
Birding in Kerinci-Seblat National Park
ArticleFamous montane and hill birding. Easily accessible forests with a good chance of almost all montane Sumatran endemics...
Birding in Sumatra – Burung-Nusantara / Birds-Indonesia
WebsiteInformation about birding sites in Sumatra, including key species, maps, access, local guides and resources. Birdwatching in Sumatra can be very rewarding, with over 600 bird species recorded including around 28 endemics, it can also be very tough at times! Sumatra is big, and the distances involved in moving around can be great. Despite the massive area, however, very few established sites are known and many visitors just go birding at two; typically Way Kambas National Park and Kerinci-Seblat National Park, although the popularity of Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park is on the rise. A trip to just two of these sites can get you almost all of the endemic species and many of the other highly sought after birds. For those with time on the their hands and a thirst for adventure, Sumatra has many, more unexplored or under-explored areas. One such area in particular is the Gunung Leuser region of North Sumatra and Aceh. Sumatra also has a chain of endemic bird rich islands off its west coast, including the Mentawi Islands and Enggano. We will be adding information about these sites very soon. Browse sites from the map or the table. Each site page will show links to birding trip reports, guides and other content that is relevant. Help us keep this information up to date by posting your experiences back here as comments...
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This site was last updated on Sunday, 29th January 2012.
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